From the table in the corner
by Fuckin'NameChoise
Summary: Rafaelle Le Gold spent 10 years of his life regretting his cowardice and blaming himself for the death of his son, spent three years secretly loving his neighbour. The barricades are up, and it is time to decide who he wants to be. Will he die like a lonely coward, or will he die knowing what love is.


'_With all the anger in the land__  
__How long before the judgment day?__  
__Before we cut the fat ones down to size?__  
__Before the barricades arise?'_

Bae had believed in the freedom of France he had fought for it, died for it but in the end all of it had been worthless. His little version of the great French revolution ended after a battle that only lasted five hours and with all of the revolutionaries slaughtered by the king's army. Rafaelle Le Gold had know how it would end, he had tried to warn his son who only called him a coward and told him that he didn't care what happened to France.

He had been right, he was a coward, and he should have died along his son fighting for the freedom of France. But he hadn't and he had lived regretting his cowardice every single day for the last ten years.

But now his chance of redemption had come, in the form of a group of young men who shared the same thoughts and spirit of his son. They were going to confront the king, the army, Inspector Killian Jordan. They were going to do what he had been wanting to do for the last ten years. And he wouldn't let it pass this time.

"Monsieur are you sure you want to join us?" Garland Hervé asked. For what Rafaelle had heard he was the second in command of the barricade, right after Jeoffroi Hatton. Both of them radiate pure braveness, once upon a time he would have call it foolishness, but not anymore.

"Weren't you saying that you needed as many hands as you could get?"

"Yes but-"

"And who are you to stop me from fighting. And if you were going to tell me that I'm old, I strongly advise you to keep it to yourself. If you don't want to accept me fine, I'll kill as many soldiers as I can outside the barricade." Once he had made up his mind there was no going back, and he would be dammed if these boys stopped him from fighting for his son and for the liberty of his country. Garland was about to argue with him when Jeoffroi intervened.

"Garland it seems the gentleman here has made up his mind. And I'm afraid that nothing we do or say will change it. Am I right Monsieur?"

"Completely." Rafaelle said without taking his eyes from Hervé, daring him to say another word. The boy had the sense to refrain himself and nod.

"We will meet here at night Monsieur." Jeoffroi informed him before leaving.

It was settle, he would finally have the chance to redeem himself and this time there was no going back. He would fight for his Bae, for the same ideas his son believed in. But he needed to attend something before joining the barricade.

On his way home he noticed the exchange of looks between the young Garland and Emanuele Nolet, the daughter of Damien Nolet a refugee of the law who had changed his name and was hiding from Inspector Jordan.

It was foolish of the boy to fall in love right before the fight, but then again Rafaelle was no one to talk. Wasn't he the one that was in love with his neighbor? How long had he loved Belle but never done anything about it, choosing to stay in his home watching from afar. Truth to be told, the young lady often visited him, but only because she pitied the old lonely man living next door. Truth be told, Rafaelle was glad that the young man would die knowing what to love and be love in return felt like.

'_On my own__  
__Pretending he's beside me__  
__All alone__  
__I walk with him till morning__  
__Without him__  
__I feel his arms around me'_

Belle had seen him leave in the morning and she couldn't felt happier. Monsieur Le Gold almost never left his house, deciding to see where he was heading she followed him. And all of her happiness disappeared when she realized where he was heading. She felt her heart break when she heard him talk with Garland and Jeoffroi. She knew the stories of his son, knew he blamed himself for his death, but she didn't know he would take his sorrow this far.

Without hearing the end of the conversation she ran home, feeling the tears wetting her face.

She had waited too long, she had been keeping him company for the last three years and not once did she mentioned her feelings for him. And now he was going to lose him without knowing the taste of his lips, without knowing the warmth of his body, without knowing the pressure of his arms around her.

From her window she saw how he looked the exchange between Garland and Emanuele, and she wished that Garland's eyes were Monsieur Gold's, wished she was Emanuele receiving the sweet caress of her lover's gaze. But all too soon it was over Jordan had arrived, Emanuele's father had took her and Monsieur Gold had disappeared. It seemed that today was a day for the God of love to cry because couples would be separated without having the chance of be together in the first place.

Running to her front door Belle tried to catch a glimpse of Monsieur Gold.

"Monsieur Gold" She called as he opened his door. "Monsieur I need to tell you something"

Rafaelle's hand froze, he so desperately wanted to turn around and look her face one more time, but he knew that if he did all of his resolve would crumble and he couldn't afford that, not when redemption was so close.

"Mademoiselle I'm afraid that right now I'm very busy, you can tell me whatever you need to tell me some other time, yes?" Without waiting for an answer he pushed the door open and went inside, closing it right behind him.

Belle was left standing, watching the spot where her love had been seconds ago.

_Red...I feel my soul on fire!__  
__Black...My world if she's not there!__  
__Red...The color of desire!__  
__Black...The color of despair!  
_

Rafaelle watched Garland explain his love for Emanuele to the rest of the boys; explain how quick his world had turned around with just a glimpse of her face. He kept debating with Jeoffroi until a boy arrived bringing the news of General Frederick's death. As Jeoffroi started to announce how they will take this event as their chance, Rafaelle saw Garland approached his table.

"So you're in love?" He asked as soon as the boy sat.

"I've never feel like this before, I feel-"

"Yes yes, you feel your soul on fire and the world is black if she's not there. I got that part." Garland flushed earning him a low chuckle from Rafaelle, "You were quite at telling your feeling about her earlier, but that's not what I wanted to know."

"Then what is what you want to know Monsieur?" Garland asked taking a gulp of his wine.

"You can call me Rafaelle boy; if we are going to fight together I believe you can call me with my given name." At Garland's not, Le Gold continued. "What I wanted to know was if you have met this young girl besides today's small exchange in the street?"

"How do you know where-"Seeing that it didn't matter how he knew, Garland stopped himself. "No, I haven't met her yet."

Just as Rafaelle was going to tell her to go and find her a young lady arrived and whispered something in Garland's ear. Whatever she said seemed to be good news because the boy all but fled from the room.

Rafaelle was getting a refill of wine when he felt a tug on his shirt's sleeve, looking down he saw the boy from earlier.

"Are you Monsieur Le Gold?"

"Yes I am. Who are you and what do you want?" He wasn't so cold with kids, but this boy remind him so much of his son when he was a boy that it hurt.

"My name is Hervey Monsieur, and there's a lady downstairs looking for you."

"A lady you say? Did you by any chance asked her what her name was?"

"I'm afraid I did not Monsieur." The boy looked like a little lamb surrounded by wolfs and Rafaelle found that he couldn't get angry with him.

"Very well, run along I'll be down in a minute."

_In my life__  
__There's been no one like him anywhere__  
__Anywhere, where he is...__  
__If he asked... I'd be his_

Belle wasn't quite sure what she was doing, the only thing she knew for sure was that she wasn't about to let him die without knowing how she felt about him. That was why she was now standing in the middle of the street waiting for a man twenty years her senior to come down from whatever meeting he was participating.

She heard him before she saw him, the unforgettable sound of his steps that spoke of a life full of sorrow. He crossed the door just as she turned around to face him.

Rafaelle froze where he stood, when the boy had told him there was a lady waiting for him he would never have guessed that the lady would be his Belle.

"Be-" His voice broke and he tried to dissimulated with a cough. "Belle? What are you doing here?"

"It is true then, I had to be sure."

"Belle this is hardly a place for a young lady such as you to be. I think it's best if yo-" Rafaelle tried to sent her away but he was a shut mid sentence.

"You're joining the barricades aren't you?" Belle could feel her strength leave her, she needed to say her piece before it was too late.

"Yes, but what does that have to-" He was cut mid sentence by Belle again.

"Monsieur Rafaelle I need to say something, but I need you to listen. I promise to go, but you need to listen to me first. Is that alright?" He nodded ignoring the rush of lust that went through his whole body when he heard her say his first name. Taking the nod as her cue Belle started talking.

"I know why are you joining the barricades and I understand. I'm not going to stop you or tell you that it's worthless or anything like that because I know it is something you need to do just like I need to say this. Have you ever wondered why I've kept visiting you for the last three years?" Not giving him time to answer she took a deep breath. "I've been visiting you for all this time because since the first time I saw you I knew that you were someone special. And then I learned the truth about your son and how you blamed yourself, and if it is possible I loved you more." Rafaelle tried to say something but she didn't let him. "No please let me finish. I know that it is impossible for you to love me but I needed to say this because I know if I didn't I would not be able to live with myself. You must be thinking that I'm a foolish girl with a silly infatuation and…"

"Belle-" Rafaelle tried again but she kept with her rambling. After trying one more time Rafaelle decide to silent her the only way he knew would work. Taking a couple of steps he stood in front of her, and taking her face between his hands and took her lips with his.

Her arms went around his neck almost immediately. Deepening the kiss he nudged at her lips with his tongue which opened giving him access. Their tongues suddenly found themselves involved in a frantic duel, their hands caressing each other's body. After what felt like hours they broke the kiss, both in need of air. Lifting her chin he looked into her eyes.

"I would never think of you as silly. "

"But there's no way, you can't…"

"I can and I do. Ever since I first saw you in my front step asking me if I knew where to buy books I knew that I wanted you in my life, I was just too much of a coward to let you know how I felt."

With that they kissed again. Eventually the kissing stopped, both needing to say a lot of thing with no much time to say them. Belle decided to took the initiative and start talking first.

"I know this doesn't change anything but-"This time it was Rafaelle's turn to interrupt her.

"Are you kidding? This changes everything. Now I know that I wasn't alone in my feelings and if I die tomorrow during the battle, I'll die a happy man knowing that you love me.

All Belle could do was smile and kiss him again.

_I did not live until today.__  
__How can I live when we are parted?__  
__One day more.__  
__Tomorrow you'll be worlds away__  
__And yet with you, my world has started!_

Everything happened too fast, one minute they were being joined by the people and the other a woman was dead. In a heroic act Garland was saving the barricade and right after that he was cradling his dying friend. One moment they were beating Inspector Jordan and the next they were being joined by Damien Nolet.

Rafaelle watched as Nolet realized the love the young Garland felt for his daughter.

"He really loves her doesn't he?" Damien asked Rafaelle as the last one joined him in the table.

"Love is a funny thing Monsieur Nolet, you can live all your life without knowing it and right before the end it appears."

"Seems like you talk from experience." Rafaelle could only thing of how beautiful his Belle had looked yesterday's night. "Have you ever been in love?"

"I have, and I'm currently in love. That's why I wanted to talked with you, I need you to do me a favour."

"I'll do what I can."

"If I die, I need you to deliver this," Rafaelle said handing him a letter. "To a young girl named Belle. I believe your daughter know her."

"But what if I die too?" Nolet asked him trying to figure out this strange man.

"You won't"

_From the table in the corner__  
__They could see a world reborn__  
__And they rose with voices ringing__  
__I can hear them now!_

Belle was sitting in Rafaelle's favourite chair, with a crumbled letter in her fist. Tears were running down her face, her dressed was ruined beyond salvation but that was understandable, after all she hadn't moved from that chair since Damien Nolet had give her the letter a two days ago, telling her that Rafaelle had died trying to protect a boy called Hervey.

As she felled sleep the letter fall down, and only two sentences had been saved from the water of Belle's tears…

_If I die today, I'll die being a happy man because I love you and you love me in return. And if I die today I'll wait for you in heaven were you will meet my boy, I'm sure he will love you as much as I do._


End file.
